2002 - Part One - January to June

Date: Sat Jun 29 08:34
james s (hot off the griddle):

Yo, Mitch, and others, "The Stories of Breece D'j Pancake" is back in print again in a new paper edition, 2002 copyright now in the name of Andre Dubus III, with a new afterward by the same. This book dances in and out of print so if you're into seriously good short stories, get it while ya can.

Date: Fri Jun 28 14:21
Alan (Blaine, Rainer and CP):

Anyone know if the Giant Sand/Chuck Prophet collaboration at SXSW was recorded? Blaine, have you been able to make any of Chuck's Chicago shows over the last two years? I really enjoyed the CP/Peter Case installment. I think I saw that last Green on Red "reunion" show in SF in 93 (96?) and loved it... Chuck warmed up playing old Aerosmith tunes... and Dan Stuart wasn't too out of it.

Date: Fri Jun 28 08:11
james s (in a hall of mirrors, you get sick of yourself...):

Yes, sad about John Entwhistle. Maybe he's jamming with Keith again, and Dee Dee is jamming with Joey. Oh well. Wednesday the third, Lucinda Williams and Chuck Prophet doing a free outdoor show in Nashvegas. Fly or drive or sail on in here, all of ya, and join the fun. Watched the Woodstock dvd last night. "Ain't no cure for the summertime blues."

Date: Fri Jun 28 07:50
trey (oz):

Saw Dread Zeppelin at a smallish club in 1990. We had no idea what we were getting into. My wife (gal pal at the time) and I spewed beer out our noses non-stop for the entire evening. This might be the hardest I've ever laughed in my life. The nose/ribs hurt(s) just thinking about it.

Date: Fri Jun 28 07:33
Blaine (@work):

Nellie (Crepuscule)Monk RIP as well. **RE: the Elvi -- anybody ever hear of a guy called The Unknown Hinson(?), friends say he's the real-out-there deal. ** There is a band that plays here on the streetcorner everyday at noon to the suited passers-by, called Re-Coil -- they do Coil covers in the Sun-era Elvis style. **Anyone else hear Mr. Prophet as turning into one of the heavyweight contenders? He just keeps getting better. Saw him play Rainer-steel w/GS in Austin some years gone by.

Date: Fri Jun 28 03:09
Shaun H. (right name, wrong pun):

curiousity got the better of me this morning. that LP by the King was actually called 'Gravelands', and if you ever wondered what Elvis woulda made of 'Love Will Tear Us apart', 'Song To The Siren', 'Blockbuster' (the Sweet), 'All Or Nothing' (Small Faces), 'Twentieth Century Boy' (Marc Bolan), 'Whole Lotta Rosie', 'Voodoo Chile', 'No Woman, No Cry' AND 'Sweet Home Alabama' then i guess this might just be the album for you.

Date: Fri Jun 28 02:42
JC BROCHARD (jc.brochard@wanadoo.fr):

HOWE NEW TRACK ALERT : Hot on the heels of the track on The Comes with a smile CD (http://cwas.hinah.com) comes a new, previously unreleased Howe track, probably recorded around the same time in Tucson. It's called "America The beautiful - You can't put your arms around a memory", and it's availble on the CD that comes with the 15th anniversary issue of the french Abus Dangereux fanzine (a fanzine which has previously released rare tracks by Giant Sand and Calexico among many others...). Like the CWAS track, there is more piano than guitar on this version, and although the track is credited to Howe Gelb, the line-up is quite Sandish since John Convertino and Joey Burns are both credited as additional musicians! Abus Dangereux has a web site (http://www.viciouscircle.fr), but it's only in French, and they don't accept credit cards... JC (http://perso.wanadoo.fr/vivonzeureux)

Date: Fri Jun 28 02:18
Sean T (Sad):

R.I.P The Ox .

Date: Thu Jun 27 23:22
bradley gelb (kbl36@aol.com):

hey now cuz howe, long time, you might not even remember me. but i was a year older than ricky. my mom and dad are sandor and barbara, from w-b. anyway, glad to hear and see your doing well!! i really dug the intro to the dylan article, in the mag , uncut. listen, im in the panhandle of fla. in a town called destin. kinda nice. ill be leaving for cali at the beginning of august, and wondring what your shedule was like around then.ill be driving on 10. how is ricky , sharon, and your pops doing? well i hope. the same for your family! just wanted to get in touch with you. say hey, and see whats shakin with the fam. i can be reached at kbl36@aol.com or bradleygelb@aol.com if you get a chance gimmi a hollar! hanna or no? peas cuz, hope to hear from you. bradley

Date: Thu Jun 27 20:28
Alan (fer Jame s, plus hard on things?):

I remember El Vez being huge in an underground west coast college radio kind of way in the early 90s... oh yeah, and how come Chuck Prophet got beat up so much for writing a song that indicated a dissatisfaction with a woman who couldn't tell the difference between the King and Sir Vez? Reviewers? Sense of humor? Distance from themselves...? yeesh. I've been listening to Pontiac alot recently, Howe just kinda makes me happy.

Date: Thu Jun 27 18:53
tom (gonna buy me a gun as big as my arm):

the great tony bennett.. looking forward at seeing Howe again around here, at the Dour Festival. Funny thing : next band to take that stage (of all stages at the festival) is : Coil. Any comments on that band, anyone ?

Date: Thu Jun 27 18:24
Mitch (off in Santa Fe, where it rains):

Ah, just heard about John Entwhistle. Very sad...but, in keeping with the Elvis thread, seems somewhat appropriate that he went in Las Vegas. A real bummer this.

Date: Thu Jun 27 16:08
mike ([sa-wa-ro]):

....and to take it further, bruce halper, drummer with luminarios/sand rubies/woodcocks/and various other tucson bands, plays bar mitzvahs, weddings and restaurants billed as 'the phoney bennett'.... doing tony bennett covers!!

Date: Thu Jun 27 16:01
Shaun H. (come on, come on, come on, come on and deliver the shiver (thank you very much) ):

and feel compelled to mention a fella from Ireland who called himself the King, and released an album called 'Disgraceland', which was basically songs by dead people covered EXACTLY in the style of Elvis (Nirvana's "Come As You Are" + i think there were Thin Lizzy & Joy Division covers, can't recall who else). can't remember if he did "Freebird".

Date: Thu Jun 27 14:42
jame s (it's newer than analysis and deceptively simple):

Ah, yes, El Vez. I saw him play in mexican restaurant/night club in knoxville years ago when he was supporting his Gracias Land cd. That was a blast. May he be blessed forever.

Date: Thu Jun 27 13:58
Mitch (quando quando):

Ah, yes, Dread Zep--a wonder to behold. As is El Vez.

Date: Thu Jun 27 12:36
Alan (e-f-h):

FYI, on a related but very different note. In the 1980s there was an ultimate frisbee team from Houston, TX, by the name of Elvis From Hell and they had, by far, the coolest shirts in the sport (with the possible exception of the Boston team, Mr. Bubble). In California, a few years later, I played with a guy from that team who we took to calling Brian From Hell (for a number of reasons, not all related to his history in Houston). Anyone else enjoy Dread Zepplin (well, at least for a song or two)?

Date: Thu Jun 27 12:17
chuck (()()):

thanks for the info ro. Italian holiday now one step nearer.

Date: Thu Jun 27 11:27
fresca (delite):

on things elvis, everyone in l.a. should go to palms thai resturant on hollywood east of western to eat good food and see kevin, the thai elvis. he's boss.

Date: Wed Jun 26 09:44
james s (sorry to beat a dead un-giant-sand-related horse, but...):

I had to share this. ELVIS ELVIS! I just received, here at work, an email informing me that "there will be an Elvis impersonator in the cafeteria today from 12:00 till 1:30." This is getting out of hand. Thanks for the Howe in Denmark post w/links.

Date: Wed Jun 26 09:06
Lars Kjær Dideriksen (lsd_dk@hotmail.com):

Hello! For those of you who are curious about the small Howe-shows in Denmark, I have a few pictures on my website on this page: http://www.angelfire.com/indie/lars-kd/privat-site/fotos.html Unfortunately there was not much light in the café, so the pictures are a bit "artistic" (dark). But I think some of them are pretty cool nevertheless. But it really wasn't as dark in the place as it looks. The pictures from the second show were done with flash. And they will be uploaded on my site in a little while (I'll let you know). Bandmembers from the Danish band Under Byen performed with Howe on three songs at the second gig (of four). Check out their website at www.underbyen.dk or have a taste of their own songs at: http://www.cdskiven.dk/default.asp?view=album&albumid=60813 and http://www.cdskiven.dk/default.asp?view=album&albumid=49650 It seems that Howe has found some new interestering people to play with. And in my personal opinion they are excellent. You can have a taste of some of the songs from the second show at this adress (they are audience recordings): http://www.groupcare.dk/da/invitation.asp?i=1353094&c=35280004 It's a 20 mb online store space I have and the title on it is "Radiohead", but don't mind that. :-) The apply-test is in Danish, but very simple, so you should be able to make your way through: TILMELD (JOIN) NY BRUGER (NEW USER) Then fill in the form with your e-mail, the password of your choice and your name. Then let the first three "wings" be as they are and remove the next three. Then go to "Filer" (files) and....download. Bingo! Two of the songs are with Under Byen and the third features Tim Dryden of Grandaddy. Enjoy, Howe-fans! Greets, Lars

Date: Wed Jun 26 08:36
Lynyrd Skynyrd Man (sweet home alabama):

Shaun, how dare you, you are so cruel. By the way I am sure you London dwelling folks know about this old (water) Chestnut already but for the rest of you there is a Chinese Elvis who 'serenades' you as you eat at his Chinese restaurant in South London.

Date: Wed Jun 26 08:21
Blaine (@work):

Gun Club reference is a good way to start the day, James. A friend burned me a distilled version of the Drive By Truckers opera. Some real cool stuff, artistic without really trying to be - if that makes sense. And it rocks. Greg, I just finished the Neil bio, Shakey, for a book review. It really draws a panoramic portrait of the guy from person to artist and many points between. Really makes me want to track down a lot more bootlegs than my wallet can justify. And unlike many bios (Bockris' Transformer on Lou Reed comes to mind), the subject doesn't turn out to be a creep. Maybe just a real complicated guy who got way inside rock and roll to make sense of life.

Date: Wed Jun 26 06:38
james s (i was all dressed up like an Elvis from hell):

Tom, yes, Silver Jews. I keep meaning to pick up Dave Berman's book, Actual Air, but haven't yet. Shaun H, I like the thought of LYNYRD SKYNYRD man walking about on English soil (or pavement). Maybe he's a Drive-By Truckers fan. I haven't heard the Truckers southern rock opera record yet, but I've seen them live and they were a blast (and they rocked). They have a song about the true relationship between Neil and Skynyrd. Ha. They have also included in their tour merch Drive-By Truckers halter tops and panties. Oh brother.

Date: Wed Jun 26 04:03
the same ro (4 the same chuck):

further infos (urbino festival): http://www.amat.marche.it/frequenzedisturbate/framedx.htm

Date: Wed Jun 26 03:47
arif shakeri (arif116@hotmail.com):

deer mr. IF YOU HAVE HEIDELBERG PRINTING MACHINE SPEED MASTER 74 PLESS SENDME THE LIST YOU HAVE THANKYOU.

Date: Wed Jun 26 03:44
ro (4 chuck):

Urbino is about 2hours from bologna. the concerts of the festival are usually free and you have the chance to live in your tent if you like to enjoy the camping. I've seen there einstuerzende neubauten and it was great, stereolab too. giant sand i think it will be outstanding. see u there

Date: Tue Jun 25 18:48
tom (well i rode down on a broken horse, and the water looked like tarnished gold):

long time since i read the words 'silver jews' around here. read them now, which is good james s.

Date: Tue Jun 25 18:13
J (usual -.-hello sean H):

Your post brought to mind a time when I had just seen Green on Red at the Mean Fiddler (Harlesden) London, England. Driving, so not at all drunk, my compatriots and I went for food at a nearby meatburger palace. "here come da fockin droogeez" said an Irishman with eyes pointing to jupiter/mars, and sick down his pinstripe suit (held up w/string) Ah England. I'm buying a Brasilia/Turkiye shirt.

Date: Tue Jun 25 16:30
Shaun H. (grab your coat and let's start walkin...):

...did you Americans know Elvis is currently #1 in the U.K., and kept Oasis off the top spot, HA! anyways, Mitch and James' comments kinda tied in w/ a conversation i was having tonight about an area in N.W. London where i used to work called Willesden, plenty of crazies walk the steets there, though nothin' sinister, like man who falls in doorways, and Michael Jackson lookalike, but my favourite was always Lynyrd Sknyrd man, who would appear once or twice every month, always in a hurry, wandering up towards the underground/subway station dressed all in white denim, w/ a large Lynyrd Sknyrd patch on the back of his jacket, and a confederate flag draped round his arse. just up the road from Willesden is Wembley (home until recently of our national 'soccer' stadium, and also if say Aerosmith, or indeed Michael Jackson, were in town the kinda place they would be playing too, Tyler to Perry, crosses it for Jackson, heads the ball, oh dear......), and my theory was that this guy was constantly living in 1974, or whenever, and every so often would wake up w/ his tickets at his bedside for the big show that day, and make his way to the venue, but NO. Kinda sad. p.s. if there's any mention of this in Zadie Smith's 'White Teeth' i honestly didn't know, as it's been sat on my book shelf unread for 2 years+ now.

Date: Tue Jun 25 15:16
james s (the great emancipator isn't dead):

Did she have the hat and everything? I don't think the female Elvis is a transient; she looked like an office worker. I've only seen her once, singing along with a portable tape player, "I'm caught in a trap.... I can't look back... because I love you too much baby..." I saw a male Elvis down there yesterday and he really looked like elvis in the later Vegas days....

Date: Tue Jun 25 14:22
Mitch (in an island):

James S, I'd say an female Elvis would be reason enough to remain in Big N. When I was living in Houston there was a transient black woman who was convinced that she was Abraham Lincoln--so convinced, in fact, she had me convinced, nay certain!

Date: Tue Jun 25 13:11
Chuck (()()()):

Anyone know any details about the Urbino festival Howe mentioned - may holiday in Italy and it would be nice to catch GS whilst there

Date: Mon Jun 24 17:44
Greg Haldane (gmhaldane@hotmail.com):

Started reading "Shakey," the biography of Neil Young and Giant Sand gets a mention, albeit in a footnote along with several other bands that were influenced by Dr. Young. I would still consider that an honor!

Date: Mon Jun 24 17:07
james s (n-ville):

Yes, Erik, I'm here in "music city." I've been thinking for a couple of years that I HAD to get away from this town, but suddenly I feel better about the place. Still, I'm ambivalent. There is a lot of music and some of it is good. I don't have much experience in other cities, so I'm unable to make worthwhile comparisons. There's too much traffic. It has it's charm, I guess. The downtown area has become a tourest attraction, but even that, with it's smelly honky tonks and street musicians (including a female Elvis and a flame juggler) has it's circus appeal. I came from a smaller town. I've heard nothing but complaints from most of the people I know who have come from places like Boston and Chicago (esp abt the restaurants). There's a good museum and some decent galleries. There's a lot of guitar players, and while this is a center for the music BUSINESS, there's some interesting stuff going own on the other side of the alley, so to speak. My biggest complaint is that the city is too far away from any place that giant sand plays. We do have Gillian Welch, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, EmmyLou Harris, Lambchop, Silver Jews, etc... and even Cheetah Chrome (remember the Dead Boys?), so that kind of helps.

Date: Mon Jun 24 14:48
matt (mel@stylethrashing.co.uk):

errr...... i don't suppose anyone knows of a site carrying sandy geetar tabs do they (google is most unhelpful to me on this subject) or failing that if anyone (howe!!!???) could just tell me the chord progression for 'yer ropes' i would be most grateful!!! ((((shhhhhh! i am only a learner at this guitar playing malarky....)))))))

Date: Mon Jun 24 10:46
Erik (harvieux@hotmail.com):

James are you currently residing there in N-ville? I may be gravitating that way soon .Hows it down there ?

Date: Mon Jun 24 06:07
STUART (dreaming of impossible holidays):

The kindly people at the Guardian newspaper have thoughtfully put together a guide for anyone thinking of visiting Arhus and unsure of what to do inbetween Howe's sets - they say: "it's young, hip and stays up all night in summer" - http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4445966,00.html

Date: Mon Jun 24 04:23
july (uyuyo):

HOWE maybe France one day?

Date: Sun Jun 23 08:16
james s (getting old I guess):

Uh, that wasn't the Flaming Groovies; it was the Flaming Lips.

Date: Sat Jun 22 08:33
james s (feeling guilty):

I shouldn't be so harsh with the pluckers here in N-Town. Heck, at least they're doing SOMETHING, getting out and playing, even if a lot of the music doesn't interest me. I barely even pick up my guitar anymore.

Date: Sat Jun 22 08:23
james s (her eyes were blank.... man I thought they were loaded...):

Yes, Steve Earle draws all kinds and his comments to the loudest drunks are always entertaining. He didn't say much of anything the other night. During the first half of the show, the only between-song banter during the first half of LONG set was his counting off a song "one two f*ck you", and then after playing "Copperhead Road" he said, "now that we got that over with..." He did a lot from "I Feel Alright", thankfully. Yes, Nashville is full of live music. You can't even hardly go to a laundrymat without there being a live band. Most of it is, in my not-so-humble opinion, horribly uninspired and derivative, but there's some great stuff too. The free concert series (it's out in a parking lot) is nearly always good. Last year they had, on different nights, Flaming Groovies, Cracker, Patti Smith... I've already mentioned some of this years line up. I envy you the Los Lobos show, Blaine. I've never seen them.

Date: Fri Jun 21 22:15
ohno (01.29.02):

soooooooo gone

Date: Fri Jun 21 21:03
Todd (580 ):

Hey-ya FYI...On the new Asie Payton cd called 'just do me right'...there is eh track included called 'i got a friend'...Howe Gelb is playing organ, J. Convertino is drumming...Leo Schwamm guitarin'?...who dat...

Date: Fri Jun 21 14:18
Blaine (@work):

As long as nowhere doesn't become now here. That fire is doing incredible damage. **Saw StEarle a few years back in Madison and a woman (same one?)would literally scream after each song. Finally ol StEarle looks at a her and says, "You are the loudest girl I ever heard." She stopped. **Next Thurs our 10 day summerfest (called, uhhmm... Summerfest) opens. Tons of stages with acts ranging from Los Lobos, Ray Charles, JJ Cale, Lucinda Wms, Femi Kuti and plenty of others. I feel guilty typing this b/c this year is not as overflwoing w/talent as past years. Anybody with an ache to visit MKE, now would be a good time to check it out.

Date: Fri Jun 21 13:44
Scavenger Records (KH_Horsten@dadlnet.dk):

To all the people in the Arhus Denmark surroundings phone Denmark 86 122773 for surprises with HOWE. We have 2 show dates with surprises For more details phone Scavenger Records Borggade 3 8000 Aarhus C Denmark 0045 86 122773 or write to : E-mail:KH_horsten@dadlnet.dk

Date: Fri Jun 21 12:47
Mitch (85719):

Nix that "haven't" after fires, James. Where the hell is my editor??? Michelle, get in here, please!!!

Date: Fri Jun 21 12:45
Mitch (85719):

Hey, James, what's up with that? Man, you are in concert central...envy! envy! uh, envy? Saw Steve Earle by chance, literally, a couple of years ago in Austin, and it was a great show, except for the lady standing in front of me who kept shouting, "Yeah, now that's how you do it!" "Yeah, now that rocked!" "Yeah, nothing shabby about you, STEVE!" Anyway, the fires haven't are a little further north than Tucson. Seems it fire season with the drought and all--seems we just managed to get over the big one on the Catalinas and then a match was struck elsewhere. Crackle.

Date: Fri Jun 21 12:18
james s (spell check here too please):

chuck, nowhere (see previous message)

Date: Fri Jun 21 10:14
james s (longitude W86.8, latitude N36.2):

just dropping in to say how(e)dy. saw steve earle & the dukes give a free show last night. excited about upcoming free shows: wilco one night, lucinda williams and chuch prophet on the same bill on another night, ahhh. if only giant sand would come to this place on the globe... hope all is well with each of ye. hope those AZ wildfires are no where near you, mitch. later...

Date: Thu Jun 20 20:55
basia (basia5000@hotmail.com):

Bonjour Monsieur Gelb, April 2002 Giant Sand played Lee's Palace. Too short but a pleasure all the same. In the inbetweens you played some old country song. A guy singin about his two girlfriends, a tall one and a short one. Would you be so kind as to tell me the title and artist of that song. I could of just asked you then and there but I had another one of those boring shyness attacks. Merci Beaucoup, Basia

Date: Thu Jun 20 13:39
howe (under a spell checker):

armful of leaking baby (both ends) has a way of allowing spelling haphazardry.

Date: Thu Jun 20 06:22
mike ([sa-wa-ro]):

for some totally unknown reason, i forgot to mention that howe has a track on the cd that comes with issue #10 of 'comes with a smile'. the track is a version of johnny cashs' 'what on earth will you do (for heavens sake)' from the 'ragged old flag' album - http://cwas.hinah.com/currentissue/ for more info ...... sorry matt!!

Date: Thu Jun 20 05:42
howe (dansk a lot):

hi keith....what did you here about san diego ?...i have heard nothing. here is a rough assumption of the futer: solo showings JULY - 13 (dour festival, belgium) 16 (festival in napoli, italy) 18 (tom waits festival without tom waits in palma, mallorca, spain) 19 (barcelona, spain) 21 (guilifest, outside of london, england) ....early AUGUST - (vega club, copenhagen, danmark).... GIANT SAND august 2 (urbino festival, italy) ....and every wednesday until such leavingness at the cafe mozart, århus, danmark...and almost every night at cafe l'estragon for wine & practice. ok then-howe

Date: Wed Jun 19 16:28
Keith (keith@genhydro.com):

Way to go on the little one Howe...just found out.The grapevine puts you in San Diego soon...let me know.

Date: Wed Jun 19 05:38
roberta (:-:):

WHEN&WHERE IN NAPOLI HOWE??????? END OF JULY? LOTSOFLUV

Date: Wed Jun 19 05:25
Sean T (Guilfest):

Just discovered that in the early days at Guilfest , they had flowers and piped music in the toilets ? Also Motorhead and Rolf Harris once shared a stage .

Date: Wed Jun 19 05:08
Sean T (Guilfest):

So it's Howe , Kiki Dee , The Stranglers and Echo & The Bunnymen ? I see Lonnie Donegan is playing on the Friday along with John Otway ?! Nice part of the country .

Date: Wed Jun 19 03:33
The Boy (From Brazil):

Unfortunately I suspect I might have to buy a Senegal or Turkey shirt for my ever increasing collection as I predict that England will win against Brazil.

Date: Tue Jun 18 15:41
J (Thanks Ian G):

Thanks for the Green on Reddage, Hope you managed to get an Argentina shirt b4 they all sold out round your way. I promise not to mention the f word again until the f thing comes home. P.S The Stranglers - formerly 'The Guildford Stranglers'

Date: Tue Jun 18 15:36
J (I'm Amazed):

How, Howe How? I grew up 12 miles from Guildford where said fest occurs, surely I couldn't sneak a 3 Piece family guest list place? A friend of mine runs a top notch rec/reh facility very nearby maybe we could sort something out?

Date: Tue Jun 18 14:48
james s (death and night and blood):

Stranglers have to be getting on up there in years. Jeez, who would've thought that outfit would have made it 25 years. I dig the Black and White record. Hey folks, check out Thelonius Monk's "Misterioso" record for some great odd piano boinking (if you like Howe's odd piano boinking, you'll dig this too, I think). It was recorded live at the Five Spot.

Date: Tue Jun 18 11:38
Ian G (Brazil):

I used my amazing powers of deduction to find out more about the festival for old people. It is Guilfest, formerley known as the Guildford music festival. According to the website, www.guilfest.co.uk, Howe will be appearing on Sunday 21st July and has 3rd place on the bill behind The Stranglers and Kiki Dee!!!! I didn't notice anything about old people though.......

Date: Tue Jun 18 11:28
Ian G (Brazil):

Just how old do you have to be to attend?

Date: Tue Jun 18 11:02
howe (sleepless):

i think the london fest is called guilifeld...or something similiar. its for old people i believe.

Date: Tue Jun 18 10:34
Ian G (Please don't mention the world cup):

I had rather hoped this was one place I could go to avoid hearing about the World Cup, I was wrong. Oh well never mind, I will be adopting Brazil as my home nation this Friday, I have already tried being Nigerian, Argintinian and Danish over the last couple of weeks. I hope Brazil get a result and I can return to being Scottish once again.

Date: Tue Jun 18 04:59
Sean T (Festival ?):

Howe , congratulations , hope everyone's well . What's the festival in London ? Sean.

Date: Mon Jun 17 14:11
J (howe@howe.com-do not mail yet):

Everybody drop what your'e doing and get over to http://www.howe.com. P.S. Brazil? Come on England.

Date: Mon Jun 17 11:03
Alan ((bleary from 2:30AM game time)):

Hi Tommy: USA-Germany, a surprise if ever there was one. It ought to be noted, however, that Belgium played an equally (and probably even more) attractive game against Brasil than the US did against Mexico... and lost 2-0. The beauty of that game, however, was the remarkable sportsmanship of Belgium and Brasil in comparison to some of the "ungentlemanly" antics in the US-Mexico game. Is an extraordinary and collaborative football riff all that different than one by musicians? We'll have to see who's spoink and scronk (a decent characterization of German and US ball, eh?) comes out ahead on Friday... can either compare to the smooth explosiveness of Brasil? -Alan PS: Howe, we'll welcome a new one here in the next two weeks to join you in the growing, family way, and I'm excited and tired already! The baby was at the Detroit show, in utero, just to get things started on the right foot...

Date: Mon Jun 17 06:54
Tommy Gailer (soccer-scroller):

Ha, USA - Germany will meet in the quarter finals...what a crazy cup! Sorry Mexico.

Date: Mon Jun 17 01:02
bård (bard@datadok.no):

dunno if this has been commented upon already: I recently bought the vinyl edition of "Cover Magazine", and 3 of the songs listed on the sleeve were not included ("Blue Marble Girl", "The Inner Flame" and "The Beat Goes On" (pt. 2). Does this mean that I have to buy the CD edition as well in order to get these songs? thanks, bård.

Date: Mon Jun 17 00:58
bård (bard@datadok.no):

dunno if this has been commented upon already: I recently bought the vinyl edition of "Cover Magazine", and 3 of the songs listed on the sleeve were not included ("Blue Marble Girl", "The Inner Flame" and "The Beat Goes On" (pt. 2). Does this mean that I have to buy the CD edition as well in order to get these songs? thanks, bård.

Date: Sat Jun 15 10:01
jpr (thoughts on soccer martians):

what a shame. they threw it all away-ay. so they should have lot's of time for sitting in cafes and listen to not-so-sportive music now.

Date: Sat Jun 15 09:47
tom (0-3):

i don't think the dansk will come out right now

Date: Sat Jun 15 03:00
jpr (inner space):

yeah, come out, denmartians. let the board of sand participate! :-)

Date: Fri Jun 14 19:38
tom (never knew i wanted to live in Danmark, but now i do):

U wiil be welcome at the Dour festival, Howe. About a bunch of kilometres south of Brussels...

Date: Fri Jun 14 11:29
james s (hashing out plunkets and thistles of hoot? ):

any of you Denmarkians who can actually witness these cafe hashings on board here? I'd love to hear about what's going down over there.

Date: Thu Jun 13 08:55
howe (full house):

thanks for all the kind congrats. she is a lovely mix ...a cross between george c scott and genieve bougeou if she were born on the hopi res with one mandarin parent. i stand transixed and fall deeper in love with every sleepless night. her name changes every 3 days. ok, back to work then....i suppose just in case there are any takers out there in shouting distance, i am playing every wednesday night, begining last night, at the cafe mozart in århus, denmark. it only holds 50 people at the most, but the piano sounds great and it will serve nicely as a juicer to squirt out some new froth and have folks begin to sit in. besides that, on any given momentary flux, i amble over to the cafe l'estragon to continue a more involuntary reflex of hashing out plunkets and thistles of hoot. this all will last for the next 30 days, give or take, at which time i begin a slanted solo tour of a festival south of brussels (belgium), one in napoli (italy), another in mallorca (spain), and then an old peoples festival back up in london (england). ....other then that heap, a full giant sand conglom in urbinu, italy around august 2nd. i think. therefore i slouch forward on occasion.

Date: Wed Jun 12 19:14
Mitch (85719):

Now that's a bar I'd gladly disappear into.

Date: Wed Jun 12 18:06
tom (never ever listen to the divilynis, it's bad for your health):

How about Kinky Friedman meeting Madonna in a bar, with Kim Gordon being the tired waitress ?

Date: Wed Jun 12 17:15
Mitch (85719):

Well, there's got to be a connection between Darwin and Monk somewhere in the primordial ooze. I can almost sense it lurking there. However, I think I'll go read some Freud and listen to The Divinyls. Actually, Tom, I like these kind of pairings. Beckett with Joy Division? Stephen King with Blue Oyster Cult? Brett Easton Ellis with Barry Manilow?

Date: Wed Jun 12 17:06
tom (busy reading the origin of species):

Again, it may be asked, how is it that varieties, which I have called incipient species, become ultimately converted into good and distinct species, which in most cases obviously differ from each other far more than do the varieties of the same species? How do those groups of species, which constitute what are called distinct genera, and which differ from each other more than do the species of the same genus, arise? All these results, as we shall more fully see in the next chapter, follow inevitably from the struggle for life I guess it must seem pretty unhealthy to read Darwin and listen to Monk at the same time, but hey, there's some individuals out here/there who do

Date: Wed Jun 12 14:58
me (yo tom):

- and

Date: Wed Jun 12 14:56
me (to tom):

come on to and deliver.. the shiver

Date: Wed Jun 12 14:55
me (to tom):

it is better off beyond discription..

Date: Wed Jun 12 08:31
Blaine (@work):

Congrats Howe & Family -- more inspiration and less time to strum? Keep us posted on the Summer cafe gigs. ** TurnedOn -- How about you just dig into the sand and let US know what YOU discover. We all have our favorites here, and admittedly they often resonate w/personal experience, not to mention the twin barrels of linear time long-gone and the gauzed-haze of memory. Yr later-in-the-game luck offers you the Rorschach/CuisineArt option. The perfect band for said approach **James S -- the extra Patti Smith cuts are esp cool in that they really show how much them beatniks were into dub reggae and the resourcefulness they employed with cheap effects and limited recording gear. Sometimes diff arrangements on tunes that are burned into my head -- great little detours to the same destination. That demo type stuff is among my favorites. I have a bunch of boots incl. Hey Joe/Piss Factory -- contact me off list and I'll get them to you. She is one of the few whose work has really kept my interest over a lo-----ng span of time** Sniffer -- if you are just plain bummed out and can get internet radio, dial up WWOZ from New Orleans. I play it non-stop here at work. It's the cure for almost anything.

Date: Wed Jun 12 08:22
Sean T (Arggghh!):

Brian - buy everything .

Date: Tue Jun 11 23:53
Mitch (85719):

Hi Turned On. Glad you are, and glad you found this little cyber-desert to post your question. I agree with those that voted Chore and Glum (Unsung or otherwise), as well I'd suggest picking up Slush by OP8 which features the Giant Sand members with Lisa Germano. Oh, and don't forget the recent Cover Magazine (that's where you probably heard El Paso from), and Howe Gelb's Confluence (which has his fellow Sand bandmates on a few songs, and is, well, wonderful all around). Happy listening, and let us know how it goes. Also also, do join the Sandman tree (info available on this here website): you won't want to miss a lot of excellent free music--such as the Pedeless (Howe's solo tour in Europe) and Juxtapostion (a mish-mash of beautifully sublime ramble and strum and plonk).

Date: Tue Jun 11 20:39
turned on (brian.smith@shinkatech.com):

ok, I just heard my first Giant Sand (something with El Paso) on a local station here and I'm really hooked. I'm looking for a little advice - what should a beginner purchase first? thanks!

Date: Tue Jun 11 18:46
peter (nothere@dot.com):

unsunglum (yer ropes!!!) chore, and i can't wait to get my hands on long stem rant and the sandman series. thank you howe (et al.) for all your sounds and keep the family growing. btw, where can i find johnny cash singing how high is the water in german? i don't need no oasis, just gimme more SAND!!

Date: Tue Jun 11 18:33
james s (Re:):

Chore of Enchantment, it's the bestest. And Glum. And Backyard BbQ. And Center of the Universe. Get on the Sandtree and get some free goodies. Chore of Enchantment though. Amazing record, and usually available.

Date: Tue Jun 11 18:23
poot (you should get...):

Unsungglum from the owom store. It's the bestest.

Date: Tue Jun 11 17:25
turned on (brian.smith@shinkatech.com):

ok, I just heard my first Giant Sand (something with El Paso) on a local station here and I'm really hooked. I'm looking for a little advice - what should a beginner purchase first? thanks!

Date: Tue Jun 11 17:22
turned on (brian.smith@shinkatech.com):

ok, I just heard my first Giant Sand (something with El Paso) on a local station here and I'm really hooked. I'm looking for a little advice - what should a beginner purchase first? thanks!

Date: Tue Jun 11 08:06
glue sniffing flower kissing coperate (do ah didy did i dum doh de):

this is the voice of the mysterons, we will have revenge on one of yous and replace them with glue. so this all that jazz old louis would be proud. i am having problems with this whole life thing at current and seeing as this page has been used for everything eles but an agony aunt page lets start the latest- Why am I so inamoured with things of late? I meam life is good settled down got a room and a fine lady there but still i travell the country every week picking up the old news on the trains. I sit silent and motionless as my viechal of travel boosts me through towns and cities but i dont feel like i ever stop i settle down for till thursday and then i'm up and at them. My light at the end of this tunnel my rebirth should i say comes in the form of summer and time set still. i wonder too much and ponder till it aches but i cant get it down i cant fill the forms, i sit and stare like a panda at the wall. I think its just a phase but yo'll know better. to quote no one i am a spent fire work that failed to ignite still spitting sparks to dangerous to approach and too empty to reignight, what i am trying to say is that i'm stuck.

Date: Tue Jun 11 08:00
james s (archbishop's hairdresser):

Anybody gotten this newish Patti Smith double CD anthology? Second cd and notes make it worthwhile for one who has all the records? Glad to see "piss factory" out again at last. Too bad "hey Joe" isn't on there. Anybody got a boot of "hey joe" out there in sandland?

Date: Sun Jun 9 15:01
tom (is it better of without description):

welcome to the new toddler. congrats to the mum and dad. to deliver the shiver..

Date: Sat Jun 8 18:13
Toddy Gray (todd.gray@ckua.org):

No Questions...just words of typin' joy...super-fantastic...looking @ a picture of Howe in his back yard. i must admit I was half to Three-quarters ignorant during our interview up in Calgary. Nice to read your interview w/ Linda Ray in No Depression...wishin' ya well(ness) to you and your addition.

Date: Sat Jun 8 14:56
LAS VEGAS ((year 2034)Prior to the Elvis imposters):

and in the casino main theater,the HOWE LOOKaLIKE and all those wannabe Gelb`s. Will it be like that ? so commercial ? No i dont think so .But if there is a earth dwelling GOD** well need i say more .yo G dude and Dudette, congrats keep em well tucked in a blanket in a basket in the back seat of a baracuda that runs by means of that( swamp cooler ) much Love . INKED

Date: Sat Jun 8 12:50
phil (p):

No Mitch, I have never heard of Cafe Tecuba. I like Sparklehorse(as well as Wilco and Lambchop). Leonard Cohen is a big hero of mine as well. Oh, there is an interview with Howe in the most recent NO DEPRESSION magazine. The Flatlanders are on the front.

Date: Sat Jun 8 11:45
Rob S (Goo!):

Howe & Sofie, many congratulations on your newborn. Best wishes and blessings to your family.Much Love. Rob S, Nat and baby Thomas Casper.UK

Date: Sat Jun 8 08:37
james s (congrats Gelb and family and in response to mitch...):

I'm afraid I don't remember the names of many of the towns I went in and out of, Mitch. I came down south from Abiquiu, New Mexico, mostly interstate, then cut over east to White Sands, and then went state highway down to El Paso and Juarez, then through some towns east of El Paso, hopping on and off some interstate until I hit the interstate that takes you straight north towards Dallas. I don't think there was a Marfa in there, but... I saw some mysterious lights while camping under the Abiquiu sky but they were just stars, and lots of them. Nice to be away from all of the light pollution.

Date: Fri Jun 7 21:51
Tommy Gailer (newborn-scroller):

Congrats to the growin` gelb-family! Hopefully the little sandman is wealthy and the mother is alright. Great way to start my day with news that.

Date: Fri Jun 7 16:24
paul (oops):

and next time I'll spell Sofie's name correctly. Apologies.

Date: Fri Jun 7 16:23
paul (Remember Rainer):

Congratulations to Sophie and Howe. And Rainer, I'm sure I can speak for most of us and say he is sadly missed and fondly remembered. I'll play live at the performance centre (my favourite) tonight.

Date: Fri Jun 7 15:53
J~again (world cup):

Alan, I'm enjoying it, especially since we (England) won today. I suspect some of you in the States are a little more interested also!

Date: Fri Jun 7 15:52
Mitch (85719):

A heartfelt congrats to both Howe and Sofie and Luka. Glad lil' T decided it was time to arrive. Also, Patti, my best wishes on Rainer's 51st. Was great to hear "The Inner Flame" on KXCI this morning. Needless to say, as I've done for the last two years or so years now, I'll have him and his music in my thoughts and in my house throughout the day/night.

Date: Fri Jun 7 15:49
J (toddlerworld):

Congratulations Howe and Sofie!

Date: Fri Jun 7 14:50
anne (anne@home):

patti: spreading the new of having delivered a healthy baby is the greatest news you can ever spread...

Date: Fri Jun 7 14:34
patti (sunny Tucson):

Today marks what would have been Rainer's 51st birthday. Wanted to let you all know. But the big beautiful news is that Sofie delivered a healthy baby girl on June 5th. I hope you dont mind me spreading the news Howe.....its just too good not to.

Date: Fri Jun 7 14:26
Alan (8675309):

BTW: I swear I didn't hit refresh nor click more than once two comments ago. Have others been able to get the comment system to work with a Netscape or Mozilla browser? APR

Date: Fri Jun 7 14:25
Alan (was Michigan named for Mitch?):

Hey Mitch: Actually, what happened was I couldn't make a Best o' Sandman CD, so I made a Best o' GS/Howe/et al. CD -- which I could do (and as you suggested, found myself placing the old and new in intertwined orders... found that quieter more recent sounds have great links to much older sounds in exciting anticipatory [in retrospect] kinds of ways). I don't think of Giant Sand as a great singles band either but find that I love the songs singly and that they do reassemble recording to recording. What was neat/interesting was finding that individual songs within live performances didn't seem to be reassemblable so much (which is particularly interesting because so many of the Sandman recordings or fairly contemporaneous.) Happy day, time to go running, Alan

Date: Fri Jun 7 14:06
Homey Oscars (qcpeace@anonymous.to):

I'd like you to publish Giant Sand's gig dates a little earlier. I have not seen Howe since London in 1990. I miss the son of a bitch and his haunting guitar licks. Please come back to the Midwest. How much guarantee do you need for a show if I could line one up for you?

Date: Fri Jun 7 13:17
Mitch (85719):

Hey, Alan. I will say that it is sometimes an interesting experience to compile a "Giant Sand favorites" CD or tape, and then struggle where best to place one song among others. It seems to be the case that one CD/LP feels like a piece unto itself, but I find sandwiching an older song in-between more recent ones creates a nice little warp of time. You know, I'd have never called GS a great singles band, but the thought crossed my mind when listening to Selections recently. Ah, well, contextual contextual. Say, James S, enjoyed hearing about your jaunt through West Texas and thereabouts (10% earth, 90% sky, eh?). Did you get as far down as Marfa and delight in the wonder of the Mystery Lights?

Date: Fri Jun 7 11:27
Alan (cafe tacuba and irreducability):

I first experienced Cafe Tacuba on David Byrne's Sessions at 34th Street when it was still on public TV here in the states... that session embraced a number of cuts from Avalanches de Exitos, which remains my favorite CD of theirs. BTW: on a different note, I recently tried to assemble a "My Sandman Favorites" CD and discovered something (moderately?) interesting. Disembedded from the shows themselves, many of the tunes lose a great deal of their meaning/sense. I think this ties in to the earlier (redundant for the list) conversation about GS/Howe shows... each show is of a piece, and is a piece unto itself, related but organically differentiated from others. I was really struck by the holistic, almost irreducible, character of the tunes in their place. Just some thoughts, bon weekend. Anyone else enjoying the World Cup? Alan

Date: Fri Jun 7 11:19
Alan (cafe tacuba and irreducability):

I first experienced Cafe Tacuba on David Byrne's Sessions at 34th Street when it was still on public TV here in the states... that session embraced a number of cuts from Avalanches de Exitos, which remains my favorite CD of theirs. BTW: on a different note, I recently tried to assemble a "My Sandman Favorites" CD and discovered something (moderately?) interesting. Disembedded from the shows themselves, many of the tunes lose a great deal of their meaning/sense. I think this ties in to the earlier (redundant for the list) conversation about GS/Howe shows... each show is of a piece, and is a piece unto itself, related but organically differentiated from others. I was really struck by the holistic, almost irreducible, character of the tunes in their place. Just some thoughts, bon weekend. Anyone else enjoying the World Cup? Alan

Date: Thu Jun 6 16:38
Mitch (85719):

That's a tough one, James S. I'd try the double CD-combo of Reves/Yo Soy, or RE. Those are favorites of mine.

Date: Thu Jun 6 15:11
james s (cafe tacuba):

Mitch, which Cafe Tacuba would you suggest starting with?

Date: Wed Jun 5 18:36
james s (tosca/texas):

Yup, so I've read. Maybe he'll record them on his label. I've never been to Austin. I have friends who make the pilgramage to SXSW every year, but not me, yet. I did drive from El Paso through Dallas/Fortworth into AK once. It was about as exciting as trying to take a nap and not being able to go to sleep. I wasn't in El Paso long enough to either enjoy or not enjoy it. I enjoyed knowing that for the first time since Cormac McCarthy moved from Knoxville, TN, I was in his area again. I wish I could get some rumor about what that dude is working on, if he's working... Actually, I enjoyed roaming about the little border towns east of El Paso snapping pictures, but once I started heading north.... oh brother. I'm used to huge hills and big trees, having grown up just under the Smokies. All that open space just bent me. I WOULD like to make my way over to Austin sometime though. I don't know anything about it, but I always wanted to go to Corpus Christi over on the Gulf too. I just like the name. I try not to think of the Bush family when I think of Texas, but as you can see, I'm not very successful. Well, later.

Date: Wed Jun 5 17:52
Mitch (85719):

The lovely Toscas, yes. They are quite wonderful, and very much evident in Waking Life. Didn't they recently tour with David Byrne?

Date: Wed Jun 5 17:05
james s (tosca):

You're an ol' texas man, mitch. You familar with them there Tosca string tango somethin' or another orchestra? I see they have a credit on Friends of DM "Place in the Sun". This the same bunch, why I believe it is, that was in that My Dinner With Andre on acid movie, Richard Linklater's "Waking Life"? Not a bad flick. Something different. When it started out, I was thinking,"oh man, nobody who's not stoned is going to be able to stand this..." But as it went along, it kind of hooked me. "Slacker" goes to college, as marcia said. This sickboy thanks ya for the advice on meds and such. Could this be a dream? Have I already drank down my cold and flu potion?

Date: Wed Jun 5 16:43
Mitch (85719):

Indeed, James S, that's Howe you hear on The Friends of DM CD. He also has a co-songwriting credit on "Blood Of The Earth". As for that cold...man, sleep, relax, and, if you haven't, try Tylenol Cold & Flu Medicine (the powdered stuff that has a lemon flavor and you mix it in warm water), as its quite good for strange dreams of varying flavors. Get well, buddy.

Date: Wed Jun 5 15:58
james s (howdy (sniff cough sneeze)):

Yes, Mitch, I'm alive, though I've been staying out of work, feeling a bit under the weather. I'm afraid Em is gone for the summer. I've been spinning Friends of Dean Martin(ez) cds today. I have an advance of "Shadow of Your Smile", comes in a thin case with only a paper insert with an illustration of a smiling Latin beauty holding a songbird in the palm of her hand and a little sticker with the band name and album title, and the subpop logo, therefore, no liner notes or other info. Did Howe ever get involved with Friends or was that Bill, John, Joey, and others? I thought I maybe heard some Howe piano. I guess Retrograde was the last one that Joey and John played on? I love Bill Elm's playing on Backyard BBQ. I've got "Place in the Sun" too, which is a dark one. Friends of D. M. will be doing the soundtrack of the David Lynch addoptation of Wind-UP Bird Chron.... Just Kidding. It's the cold medicine.

Date: Wed Jun 5 14:58
Mitch (85719):

Phil, have you turned your attention southward. Lots of interesting stuff coming up here from Mexico and elsewhere which might restore your faith. Heard Cafe Tacuba?

Date: Wed Jun 5 14:26
phil (phillly_lawlor@yahoo.com):

Going through one of my cynical with music stages. I get them every so often. I think Wilco and Lambchop are great though.

Date: Wed Jun 5 14:25
Mitch (Punk Floyd) (Is there anybody out there?):

James S? Em? Someone? Mom? Cowardly Lion? Anyone? All right, just checking in. Uh...Happy Wednesday everybody, and to everybody a happy...

Date: Tue Jun 4 11:42
Inga (for all you woodticks):

Just keep yer pants on and clean up yer mess, I hate the sight of those ugly beer cans, if you don't watch out I'll sic the mosquitos on ya.

Date: Tue Jun 4 08:46
jesus (whereismyhead):

Oups, I forgot the link: http://www.atiza.com/fotos/2002/primaverasound/

Date: Tue Jun 4 08:44
jesus (txusruiz@terra.com):

you can see some pics of Howe at last Primavera Sound Festival (Barcelona, 17-05-02. Hasta pronto!

Date: Tue Jun 4 05:17
subcomandante@home (subcommandante@gmx.at):

re: Sands Hotel: got the same mail. i reckon it's got to do something with bob dylan - though i didn't open the attachment. anyway: barbecues are important. to all those in sandland. may u keep happy & in the finest of spirits, cheers, sub

Date: Mon Jun 3 18:44
panda (+/+):

call her ALMA

Date: Mon Jun 3 15:19
jpr (@the queen's jubilee):

anne, i don't know if you're referring to the thingy that came over the giantsand-discuss mail list. if that is the case, i think you should (let somebody) check your computer for viruses and such. sounds to me as if maybe your computer (unintentionally) has sent that virus-mail.

Date: Mon Jun 3 14:59
INKED WITH SAND (((ooooOOOllOOOoooo)):

were is everyone? Yo Howe,i got a new kitty cat and looking to give it a name ?its a girl grey real pretty with white feet. what do you think agood name would be ? Im thinkin either Onion or maybe Spun. you tell me what you think.Later Jaw Harp in Hand and inked with sand .

Date: Mon Jun 3 12:33
anne (anne@home):

just got in my mail box (in junk mail inbox) a 132 KB mail entitled: 'returned mail: Sands Hotel' from 'postmaster'. I didn't open it.. I suppose it is something similar to the 'muppet-intruder'??

Date: Sun Jun 2 18:04
tom (tu quoque fili mi ?):

any suggestions and / or commemorations glue ?

Date: Sun Jun 2 17:48
tom (liner notes to 'Let my children hear music' by Charles Mingus):

Each jazz musician when he takes a horn in his hand- trumpet, bass, saxophone, drums-whatever instrument he plays-each soloist, that is, when he begins to ad lib on a given composition with a title and improvise a new creative melody, this man is taking the place of a composer. He is saying, "listen, I am going to give you a new complete idea with a new set of chord changes. I am going to give you a new melodic conception on a tune you are familiar with. I am a composer." That's what he is saying.

Date: Fri May 31 11:45
John Lokken (Vetinam Heller Pilot):

Hey, I got this place.....it's called the DETROXE....you know, over on Lake Maud. It's a field stone place out of the 40's, mushroom roof, pool table, jux box with itchin on the dock of the bay, being my favorite next to Louise Louise...I'm alittle shell shocked and alcholoic but i golf everyday. I took Robyn to see Little Richard at WE Fest on year. It rained but there was a rainbow. Any hoot Robyn wants to buy my place from me and restore it. New kitchen, bothrroms and deck/parking lot. The fishing's great and there's plenty of room. She needs a half a million to get it going. Come and visit me.

Date: Fri May 31 10:25
matt e (see you in the pub sometime??):

don't leave, glue sniffer!!!!!!!

Date: Fri May 31 09:52
Blaine (@work):

Et tu, VU

Date: Fri May 31 07:50
glue sniffer (like a bad egg i wont have a chick):

sorry you people of earth the completly ignor me secrect email instigated by j edgar hoover went past me this morning, so you get your wish i will stop wasting your precious times. one reason i have been vocal is the, what i thought at the time but now know to be different, contius refferences to GS in you peoples letter. now for a while i held my head up high(spot the lyric for a kiss) and felt proud theat my two milloin monkeys on typewriters had managed to get me into your little hearts. but no i was wrong. atu brutus

Date: Thu May 30 18:00
Mitch (8&5&7&1&9):

Well, now I do have something to comment about, 'cuz just this afternoon my copy of Pedalless arrived (thanks Daniel). And after having spun the discs while I spun about town, I can honestly say this is the best of the Sandman series thus far (and that's saying something). Great production job, Mike. And great performances Howe. The artwork is mighty fine as well. Yum and double yum.

Date: Thu May 30 14:22
james s (Re:):

Ahhh. Glad all is well except for your being too busy, Mitch. Chunk of the summer, eh? Ouch. Well, always a light on here (almost always).

Date: Thu May 30 13:19
Mitch (swimming laps):

Howdy, James. Your worry is much appreciated, but fear not...just been a bit swamped as of late to enjoy as much time as I'd like here in Sandland. But looks like I'll be on my own for a chunk of the summer, so I imagine I'll be vactioning here more than ever soon. Anyway, very much enjoyed Howe's comments, and was glad to hear him address what seems to have mystified some others. Also, enjoyed your thoughts, too, James. Wish I had something to contribute on the subject(s), but I suspect whatever I might say has already been well-typed and made more to the point by better folks. Alas...

Date: Thu May 30 13:01
vladivis (voltarch@pi.be):

I once read an article about an Italian pilosopher who said (more or less) this : the mind is as the heart, it has to move in two opposite directions to stay alive. Just as the heart needs to pump in and out the mind needs an inward and outward movement. Outward to find something new, fresh and inspiring, finding this in the great unknown world outside. Inward to the existing, known, already incorporated, finding this in the safe and warm home. A heart only having one direction surely means a heartattack. The same counts for the mind, only experiencing safety would lead to a mental-attack, just as an everlasting stream of "unknown" would do. Could it be the same for the sonic mind, I certainly think so. If you only listen to the known sounds your ears will shrivel, only listening unknown sounds would blow our sonic minds apart. I think this is why I feel so comfortable with the sonic travellings by Howe and the G Sands. They can hit your mind with chaotic pieces, directly followed by some very "traditonal" music, both having one great quality : beeing original. Original not meaning "new" but meaning from deep within, from their origin. Listening to "actually faxing Sophia" or "Sonic drive in" and on the other hand "Wonder" or "Blue lit girl" are to me both wonderfull sonic experiences, both coming from a same sonic mind/heart. I had the chance to see Howe/GS 5 times now, apart from one GS show it was always a "nice experience", this one other time it was just an "experience", but isn't that just the point. All 5 experiences were different and worth remembering. I know this all sounds a bit to serious, but sometimes one has to think about what makes someting worth to look at, listen to, taste, love..., and writing this down can clear things out a bit. So after having written or read this I suggest we all should have a drink and live happy everafter (at least that's what I plan to do). To Howe an the G Sands : thanks for being nice companions on sonic travels To Howe : if you really plan to live in Denmark, you should think about this, I lived their fo half a year, finding it far to expansive, a little boring and slightly to nationalistic, apart from that it's a beautiful country To the so called Sandheads : keep your ears open, there is plenty of sonic gold to rush at away from the Tucson desert

Date: Thu May 30 10:09
Manny ((Thanks Howe)):

There are very few artists with the inner drive and conviction to experiment and discover no matter what the cost. I have been entertained, let down, bemused, but more importantly, incredibly inspired for the 15 years I've listened to Howe making himself vulnerable in order to find something sulblime. He does not play it safe. As an artist, I find that truly inspiring. I am not blindly kissing arse here. I do not idolize Howe or any rock band. I'm just not sure how much people realize how brave a thing it is to make yourself vulnerable (and consequently fail miserably at times) in order to maybe find or have a flicker of brilliance. To me that is sincerity...and that is living. Thanks for inspiring me to throw convention out the window by challenging and moving me.

Date: Thu May 30 06:34
james s (Re:):

Gracias, Howe, great post, and thanks for endeavoring over the years to lay down the missing sounds. Stumbling onto your experiments has awakened a love for music and its possibilities that had previously gone to sleep out of boredom, and thanks to my pals on this board who have further introduced me to other vital sounds. Hey, Mitch, it's my time to worry. Haven't seen your name pop up here in a while. Hope you are traveling, or absorbed in some literary creating, and that all is well over your way with you and yours, and that you haven't just gotten bored with this little chit-chat saloon. Your posts are missed. Hey, why doesn't the GS/Gelb section at Tower look as full as the Bob Dylan section? This music should be available, and I know some of the older disks are still distibuted; I've bought some of them new. Well, enough ramble from this quarter. Alejandro Escovedo live in my town tonight!

Date: Thu May 30 06:22
SeanT (GS Live):

"invigorating elongevity" , that's what it is thankfully .

Date: Wed May 29 18:08
tom (morph):

a very intelligent jazztalk by howe. respect.

Date: Wed May 29 07:50
Glue sniffer (qqqq):

Which was my point entiraly. I love you gelebo see you in my toxic fume dreams x xxx dan

Date: Wed May 29 06:42
howe (range fed):

james, that was a great stab at the wondermint of sonic intake. i think that application of a live performance is mostly two-fold. and both are significant to be allowed papers to pass through customs. the first is a direct representation of what the mind has already grown familiar with and sparkles with appreciation upon revisatation in the live format. the second is the difference between a fine-art (such as painting) and a performance-art (such as dance). ... whereby the previous recorded piece serves only as a diving board when face-to-face in a live scenario. i like em both. but one may serve better then the other depending on what you want to get out of it. still, it is always by choice. a record label's dream is a band that can accurately represent the record that has been released before a given a tour. a record company's nightmare is a band who's tour represents the record they will record after such a tour. ...um...you know which one we are. when i started making records in the early 80s it was due, in most part, of the abundant lack of records sounding the way i hungered for. so it was fun to go up against the grain, and also seemed vitiman enriching to grow your own sound. this developed in utilizing the live forum as a tool in the process, instead of a virtual commercial representation of the product you were selling. so, herein lies the crux: if we were nestled nicely in a manhatten nieghborhood somewhere in the late 40s or 50s, then we would have the vehicle of morph at our disposal by aquiring monthly engagements at a single club, like the be-boppers did, which, due to the lack of public awareness outside the city, could allow for said touringness. so these bands would change from night to night, and it made sense. it made sense to them to grow and change and dare each other player to deviate and find their way back and then celibrate such return, and it made sense to the public who would often be the very same attendies week after week, and therefor play witness to this morphing and transition. ....alas, our morph has been taken on the road, for the lack of having a convenient 'branson, missourie' available in our vicinity, and by doing so, applied this relative morph to get to where ever the next recording says we were heading to. calexico have, in their 12 odd years schooled in this camp, instead removed enough of the daily improv so as to allow proper digestion and, even more important, distinct description. this is a relief to see that within the ranks these things are at least possible. but it feels more comfortable then ever for me to remain uncomfortable within the qualification of description. to this day i still do not know what kind of music i / we make. and i think it allows a certain level of cult status, well away from the thickening of audience swell, but also an invigorating elongevity. that being said, i wonder what it means----hoopla howe

Date: Tue May 28 06:45
james s (Re:):

Have a good summer yourself, em, and good luck with whatever you're up to.

Date: Tue May 28 03:42
MR Glue Sniffer Phd (need to know too need):

Hello its been a while now i'm back with venom in my smile as i say too you all looking at me dont take too much away from 3 , because youll only get hurt amongst all the quantum foam im rapping boy so change your tone. i leant to walk before i could swim so i could always watch but never jump in. this crazzy world with its ups and downs were not players were all just clowns so in this rap i intend to say lets all love put the hate away. so those giant sand dont make it live well come on honey howe did you want to jive? we all know how glass is made. too much heat pressure and were all dissmayed, so the lesson here for us all to learn, is that some times its better to fade than burn. wicked

Date: Mon May 27 13:18
em (can't resist):

`_' ~

Date: Mon May 27 13:16
em* (`_' times 72):

**Alright--this is my 'hi' and 'bye' for the better part of the summer. hope it's a great one for everybody here. stay safe. James, I agree with you about live shows--more than once, I've listened to an album& found it unlistenable then tried again, say, a month later and have been blown away. There are a few concerts I wish I could see a second time. But then the whole point of the live performance would be defeated. So it's double edged. Take care everybody. ***

Date: Mon May 27 10:36
Blaine (@workonMemMonday):

James, you nailed it.

Date: Mon May 27 10:33
jpr (old world):

thanks, james. great post!

Date: Mon May 27 10:07
james s (Oh, just some thoughts I thought MIGHT interest one or two of you):

I guess my introduction to the kind of music that transended form and became FREE came from Patti Smith. I think of patti's music (the first two records, Horses in particular, Land in particular) as similar to catholic mysticism, and Patti like some cross between Teresa of Avila and Joan of Arc ("I feel like some misplaced Joan of Arc"), in that she she has what sounds like inspired bursts of transported improvisation flying here and there out of her song, the song being there as a solid form, the transport being like some arrow that fires out of the form. After twenty five years of listening to Land, I am lifted by it with her more and more with each listen. She tried to go directly to the transport on Radio Ethiopia and I don't think it came off nearly as well. Now, Giant Sand (on the less structured stuff) and certianly in certain kinds of Jazz, I think of in Buddhist terms, that is, their experiments are created and experienced in the moment, they go for the transport from remaining in a loose spontaneity where accidental brilliance can play out. Ironically, in my opinion, the wilder Giant Sand stuff, and the more free jazz stuff, is best appreciated after multiple listenings. I don't know if it's because they are playing around a form that is there and needs only to be discovered, or if maybe it is more interactive between player and listener, that the artist simply provides the interesting sounds and the listener, after repeated listenings, creates the "song" or form that seems to be implied out of a natural human need to give order to chaos. Anyway, these thoughts came to me because of the comments about the live GS shows that showed up on the board recently. It seems ironic and kind of tragic for some folks that this kind of music, which gets richer with repeated listenings is the very kind of music that is most alive when it's "live" and is MEANT to be created and experienced in the very moment of creation. Sitting in a club, you only get one shot at "getting it". So, to have a chance at "getting it", you have to be kind of buddhistic as a listener, let go of the lovely forms you''ve constructed by repeated listenings to the records, and realize that the live show is primary, it is a whole different kind of beast, and you have to BE THERE in the NOW. From Patti Smith to Coltrane, for years and years, I have only REALLY given a damn about music that's about to get out of it's skin and point to something unknown.

Date: Mon May 27 02:00
ro ("/"):

what have I done to hurt u ?

Date: Sun May 26 19:41
¿?¿?¿?¿ (¡Hola!):

cheeses might return?

Date: Sun May 26 18:25
tom (doembiedoembiedoem):

maybe ro should get her money and then f off

Date: Sun May 26 14:42
James (jdmcallister@blueyonder.co.uk):

Howe.when are you going to play in Scotland again ? the kilted ones await you !

Date: Sun May 26 07:31
ro ro (°!° °!°):

sorry for my doppelganger

Date: Sun May 26 07:29
ro (+/+):

even more kidnapped by yr music :listenin to realplaying show in Germany. wayfaring stranger makes me fly to the moon! never ever found such a marble cover. and shiver?OH IT SHIVERS ME! genius is not just the one who has great expressive capacities and does good things in an artistic field. genius is the one who has an idea of the world, a radical and revolutionary idea of the world, and carries it on simply. this is what was said about Luigi Ghirri, an italian photographer. and this is what I think you are. dear howe. LUV

Date: Sun May 26 07:25
ro (+/+):

even more kidnapped by yr music :listenin to realplaying show in Germany. wayfaring stranger makes me fly to the moon! never ever found such a marble cover. and shiver?OH IT SHIVERS ME! genius is not just the one who has great expressive capacities and does good things in an artistic field. genius is the one who has an idea of the world, a radical and revolutionary idea of the world, and carries it on simply. this is what was said about Luigi Ghirri, an italian photographer. and this is what I think you are. dear howe. LUV

Date: Sun May 26 05:41
ro (*!*):

haY howe! did you call yr newborn -Zelda- ?

Date: Sun May 26 05:35
ro (*!*):

haY howe! did you call yr newborn -Zelda- ?

Date: Sat May 25 07:59
Tadeusz W±adys±aw Bñak (james s) (this thing broke or what? Hello? Somebody turn on the light!):

I'm just here working on the holiday weekend, hoping the rest of you are having a swell time out on three day camping trips and such, far away from your machines...

Date: Fri May 24 06:51
Blaine (@workandchomping@ the bit):

(Book of) Job, yr weather comment hits home. The outdoor music season kicks off this weekend here in Milwaukee, where we try to cram 12 months worth of festivals in three months of good weather -- cross yr fingers, it's 44 degrees.

Date: Fri May 24 03:16
tom ((re : trail)):

Sean, it was the last gig of their european tour, there was hardly anything left of the club, when they finished...

Date: Fri May 24 03:06
Sean T (TOM And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The.....):

Tom , yes they are a great band and live it's something else .Did they have any instruments left by the end of the show ?

Date: Thu May 23 19:20
inked with sand (( O )):

howe,just listened to pedalless again and over. Spun and i am . sounds like butterflys on those keys.well sped and yet well Spun.good shows thanks for making them available!

Date: Thu May 23 19:04
tom (^^^ and you will know us ^^^):

by the trail of dead. went to their show in the Ancienne Belgique Club, last sunday, got the hearing in my right ear back monday night. I have been shouting to people that this concert was incredible for five consecutive days (and that they should forget about the Stripes 'n Strokes) and in the mixt of typing this i'm listening to Waits' 'Alice'. I like the postmodern. Listening to the Sand and mr. Gelb, mr. Waits, mr. Monk, mrs. Simone and a band the trail of alive.

Date: Thu May 23 18:53
¿¥±±±¥? (©ººº®°°°©):

°­¯­°§¥§°­¯­°

Date: Thu May 23 18:38
Job (hottie4656@hotmail.com):

BTW Howe, When I was a wee boy, living over there in England I had this toy sail boat--it was about 2 foot long, green with a white sail and black keel. One day I put it in the North Sea and it was never seen again. If ya come across it; let me know.Has my name on the keel

Date: Thu May 23 18:31
Job (Hatchy Milatchy Land):

On the subject of critics: "All you critics stand alone you're no better than me for what you've shown" Now who said that? As for me most of the noise I make is for privte consumption,but it generally makes me smile and that's always been the biggest measure of critical success. weather it puts a smile on your face or not. If the folks making the music are enjoying it it's good; if you can enjoy it with 'em it's that much better.

Date: Thu May 23 16:26
!!! (`_'):

...

Date: Thu May 23 16:23
e (:::mmmm:::):

I would agree.

Date: Thu May 23 15:44
james s (+):

We're all mad here.

Date: Thu May 23 15:25
Mitch (85719):

Yikes, me & Feke were doodling at the same time.

Date: Thu May 23 15:24
Mitch (a tick, an elephant, and edward):

+--(*"*)--+ ^*#*^ G(+_*)9

Date: Thu May 23 15:17
~_' ($Feck_HED-OV_ buurd):

@¬@, o_o,

Date: Thu May 23 13:29
Mr. Bill (` 0 '):

Oh Nooooooooo!

Date: Thu May 23 13:11
howe ( ^£^):

absolutely nothing to report

Date: Thu May 23 13:10
bird (yeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaa):

I'm not in jail yet! Somebody sing Spoon River for me! You know....wider than a mile, I'm crossing you in style.....TODAY!

Date: Thu May 23 11:47
James s (() !! ()):

Sorry Blain, Tom wanted an E and since I didn't have one to spare, I gave him yours. I sure wish I could spel.

Date: Thu May 23 10:13
james s (Tom Waites):

Anybody else catch the Tom Waites interview on Fresh Air? Still haven't heard the new records, but judging from the bits they played on the radia show, sounds good! If any of you are interested, you can still listen to the interview online at: http://search1.npr.org/opt/collections/torched/fa/data_fa/seg_143703.htm

Date: Thu May 23 09:21
tHom (~|~ |¬¬| ¦¬/ ~\/~ it'saconspiracy):

a good piece by agee on silent comedy appears in one of the most fascinating books i've read in the last couple of years, called simply "movies" it's an anthology of writing on that subject, put together by gilbert adair. it begins with an account by gogol of a screening in 19th century russia of an early film of a train coming into a station. then it goes on to select writing by a great diversity of people covering every aspect of films and their making. because it's so diverse it somehow manages to touch on far more than the central subject without ever losing it. anthologies are often dodgy but this one really works and i found it one of the most thought-provoking and inspirational books i've read in years. now i'm sounding like a critic. incidentally, if you press control-alt-4 on an UK keyboard you can do this €.

Date: Thu May 23 07:43
Sean T (Drunken Bees):

Got a copy of the drunken bees video . Nice short movie about the boys from Arizona .Nice to see some footage of Rainer . Does anyone know/have any live film footage of Rainer ? Sean.

Date: Thu May 23 07:43
`_' ( `_'):

~ ~ ~

Date: Thu May 23 07:36
em (okay, good morning.*):

the face is actually becoming very endearing

Date: Wed May 22 18:34
erwin (in an español kinda state of becoming):

let us now praise.. agee. yes. walker evans. oh boy. çµçµ. and i'm from europe.. our thirties depression had something to do with a tiny german guy.. but speaking of 'locals' to praise.. go see 'hable con ella', the last one by almodóvar. made me think of kieslowski's 'short story about love', but less polish.. sorta.

Date: Wed May 22 15:53
Mitch (85719):

Ah, oui oui, James s...oui oui.

Date: Wed May 22 15:04
james s (( `_' )):

Wow, Poot! What groovy keys you have! James Agee again. His intro to "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men" is one of the most enjoyable rants I've ever read. Speaking of Ray Davies, everybody's heard Art Lover done by Lambchop on the "This Is Where I Belong" record, right???

Date: Wed May 22 14:45
Mitch (85719):

Is that true, Blaine? I had no idea. Hmmmmmmmmm...maybe I should re-consider my dislike of ol' quiversome Roger. I still pine for Siskel's better take on films.

Date: Wed May 22 14:44
Mitch (=--(*#*)--+):

Agreed, James, "Agee On Film," is a great read. "The Shock Of The New" by Robert Huges, while not about film, is darn good. Just finished Ray Davies unauthorized autobiography "X-Ray", not great but very enjoyable, and clever in its own way.

Date: Wed May 22 14:41
Blaine (@trivacentralia):

Mitch didn't Mr. Ebert work on the Sex Pistols R&R Swindle screenplay?

Date: Wed May 22 14:36
poot (♫Ö ☼ ‡):

what? oh.

Date: Wed May 22 14:29
( `_') (( ` _ ' )):

(`_')

Date: Wed May 22 14:22
emm (and**):

of course me saying that the idea of the music critic is pretty silly's a huge generalization--there's always an exception..with everything.

Date: Wed May 22 14:18
em (aaah, James!):

that face is disturbing. I'm disturbed.

Date: Wed May 22 13:23
james s (hey look I have a ` button, but my regular apostrophe ' just goes straight down so, my mean face is a bit deformed, ( `_' )):

Ever read "Agee on Film", a collection of the movie reviews of James Agee? Pretty good stuff. A critic's oppinion is always just that, but SOMETIMES, if the "critic" is thoughtful and intellegent and also happens to be a good or at least an interesting writer, they can be both informative and enjoyable. But, with most who aspire to being a critic, I agree with ya, Mitch. Mingus had some sweet things to say about this subject in his liner notes to Black Saint and the Sinner Lady.

Date: Wed May 22 12:22
J (-*¬):

Hello from India

Date: Wed May 22 12:20
J (¬¦-):

Best i could do in the time allowed

Date: Wed May 22 11:49
Mitch (\(+%+)/ had to give it a try):

Howe, I love the Jerry Garcia story of kicking Phil Lesh down the stairs. Pretty funny, and so out of keeping with this image I have of Garcia as having been a lovable, teddy-bearish fellow. So I suppose performing can be a bit of an in-the-eye-of-a-hurricane experience, with sometimes no sense of what is being felt en masse beyond the stage? As for the idea of someone being a professional critic, I’ve often wondered why anyone would choose that line of work. I mean, it just seems a lame aspiration, somewhere near the low end of the totem pole. Plus, it’s hardly an exact science, though the amount of legitimacy attached to the critic is staggering at times. Besides writing the screenplay for the horrible Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls, the only other thing Roger Ebert is known for is using his thumb to indicate approval or disapproval, but that friggin’ thumb of his is desired by every major movie studio in the U.S. Maybe I just can’t forgive him for heaping his bile on The Southpark Movie. Critics can kill album sales, dwindle movie lines, make books trivial. They can do the opposite, too. But who are they? What exactly is their true function? An interesting, somewhat mindless thing to do is to look at The Rolling Stone Record Guide (1979) and start comparing many of their reviews with those in later editions of the very same book (suddenly revisionism runs rampant--a two star album in ‘79 might become a four star album in ‘86). The Kirkus Review dumped on All The Pretty Horses, but after its acclaim and awards they praised it in subsequent reviews of McCarthy’s other books. Actually, there are a few critics that sort of function like cultural historians, people like Robert Hughes or Greil Marcus, and I usually find what they say or write to be of value (even when I disagree). But for the most part though, I find the best gauge for what’s good, bad, ugly, mind/soul-thrilling or just downright vomitus for me is myself, followed by the folks I know who usually have interesting things to share. So most critics kind of remind of those books you see at the store--shelf after shelf of HOW TO WRITE A BEST-SELLING NOVEL, TEN-STEPS TO PUBLISHING SUCCESS (I imagine Step Ten is to publish a book on the Ten Steps to Publishing Success), etc.--except the authors are people I’ve never heard of, so I find myself wondering why--if they really have cracked the code--aren’t they filling the world with best-selling novels, paradigm-shifting albums, or brilliant movies? All right, I apologize for my rambling fingers. Better cut back on the morning brew. Hope everyone’s mid-week is finding them in fine form.

Date: Wed May 22 10:19
e (mm):

**morning everyone. The new Neil yOung biography is $30 but looks pretty interesting so maybe I'll have to get a job at a book store. Howe Gelb, you are being quite the showoff. Did this relocation have anything directly to do with the fact that they got fancy keys? how unfair. the fanciest I got is: ~ and I can't even put it over the 'n' when speaking spanish! oh the humanity

Date: Wed May 22 09:05
james s (*!*):

Show off!

Date: Wed May 22 08:46
mmm.... ( ¤ \/ Ø ):

~

Date: Wed May 22 08:01
Blaine (@work):

Howe -- you remind me of when George Allen coached the Redskins "...on any given Sunday..." -- the possibilities are endless. Anybody pick up the new Neil Young biography yet?

Date: Wed May 22 07:09
howe.... ( `U´):

em, these machines in scandoland have all sorts of extra buttons...like € for example....or the very popular Å...and of course the lovely Æ ......a day without Ø is not complete at all....and then there is this lil mysterious ¤ ...so as you can see there is plenty to work with here in the land of the 11 pm sunset. PS....last word on critiques and such, well....i feel the same way at any given point as all of you. you are me. i am just you. the mind wobbles with what i think happened on any given night, versus what might have actually happened. remember that scene (trick question) in that old greatful dead movie where garcia admitted to kicking phil lesh (flesh ?) down the stairs after a show cuz he thought they sucked...then confessed after he heard the tape of that night he realized it was great after all....well...all i know is i remember way back when i used to get upset after certain shows thinking we sucked, only to have folks come up afterwards and tell me how good it was....so i decided it is best not to insist we sucked in those situations.....i would virtually be calling these folks "liars"...and that would be very rude...and maybe wrong too.

Date: Tue May 21 09:46
Blaine (@work):

Em, I tend to agree with you about "critics", but I've found that when you get to know another person's taste it can be a good gauge for yr own. Best bet is still make up yr own mind. FYI -- Just finished listening to Pedalless -- nice work to all involved in putting it together - you deserve a pat on the back. Extremely cool snapshots of the music.

Date: Tue May 21 08:56
test test ('_'):

no, shouldn't let a critic make up your mind for ya, but I've been turned on to some good stuff by "critics". Find one you typically agree with and he or she can produce some good leads, open some doors... -james s

Date: Tue May 21 08:37
this is frustraiting (`_`):

--

Date: Tue May 21 08:35
oh and I like that thing - - ( ` ___`):

how do you do the left eyeball going the other way??

Date: Tue May 21 08:19
***e (m***):

morning everyone. Howe makes a good point about perception which makes me think(all the more) that the idea of the music critic is pretty silly. the way one person experiences something is swayed by all their previous experiences so how can this one person's specific experience have anything to do with each and every reader's? It could mean something completely different. hope everyone's is a good day.

Date: Tue May 21 04:01
Frank Castenholz (Orange Blossom Special) (tocotroniac@gmx.de):

Hello sand people! Just dropped by to report from the „orange blossom special 6“-festival that happened this weekend. It´s a concert event (kind of backyard bbq) organised by the Glitterhouse record label in Germany, Beverungen (please don’t ask where that town lies– even Germans sometimes believe this region doesn’t exist). Anybody else who was there? I really liked it - especially the gig of our Friends of Dean Martinez. Although they actually didn’t rock the stage (they sat and played and sometimes mumbled) they managed to kick asses somehow. When they finally invited John Dee Graham to play Neil Young’s “Harvest” and “Like A Hurricane” together the crowd was going crazy. I’d love to hear that on CD (Tommy, do you have connections?). I really enjoyed the way Dave Lachance played drums (I hope it was Dave…). He very much reminds me of John Convertino. It’s just a personal impression but I think that the John Con-style somehow influenced the sound of a lot of “alternative” drummers. For example, listen to the Chris and Carla tune on the American Music Club Tribute. (Where are John´s roots and influences? Jazz I guess...) Some other band impressions: Pleasant Grove seem to listen to lot of Calexico. Johnny Dowd seemed to be stoned, high or low on whatever (talking about black dogs on the stage?!) but made some weird interesting music. The Yahoos (former Georgia Satellites, Dan Baird…) play fine good time rock n roll. John Dee Graham seems to make nice music for hanging around, smiling and slurping beer from plastic cups but there’s a certain danger that his records sound like Joe Cocker. Does anybody have an objection? I hope Howe will make it to this event someday and kick ears and asses too - but somehow I am afraid that the Glitterhouse chefs consider GS too spicy for their plain cooking. Short and nice week to everyone!

Date: Mon May 20 20:47
Dan Schwanz (schwanz@gorge.net):

Just received the new Giant Sand CD - Cover Magazine - and was promptly blown away! Great stuff!

Date: Mon May 20 16:10
paul (Notseeingred):

Harvieux, as i said, and as you have said, each to his own. I wasn't at the show and essentially disagree with Mr. Allum's viewpoint based on my listening experiences of the band. My post was more to do with subsequent messages basically saying he was wrong and NOT allowed to express his opinion. Anyway, great message as usual from Howe, surely Scotland has something of what dublin has to offer. grovel grovel grovel

Date: Mon May 20 16:10
mike ([sa-wa-ro]):

i think all the gs stuff is online now (except some of the larger sandman images)...... the form on the sandman page doesn't work yet.... need to load some formmail cgi (tomorrow). just checked 'cover magazine' vinyl..... side one plays as side two (and vice versa).

Date: Mon May 20 13:32
matt (inner flame):

i think mike said that part of the site is down for a while...anyways, it was Rainer, try the link on the main page (http://www.giantsand.com/rainer/rainer-page.htm)

Date: Mon May 20 11:34
Chris Ho (xho@singapore.com):

Hi, I'm using a Mac and I can't get into the artist info or lyrics/song info of your Cover Magazine web-page. I'm writing a review of your fabulous album for the local newspaper here in Singapore, and I need to know who first recorded The Inner Flame. What a beautiful song. Thanx Chris Ho

Date: Mon May 20 10:52
Harvieux (Misunderstood?):

Paul K..... I disagree?Did you read what said subject left for comments? As an artist/entertainer myself I would have to say it was downright rude.Regardless.I usually give A resturaunt 2-3 trys if the food and service are still less than desirable I just dont go back! but thats just my opinion .I think you said we are entitled to that right??

Date: Mon May 20 09:44
howe (`_´):

...er no blaine. senor rodriguez currently resides in amsterdamster....when not in spain.

Date: Mon May 20 07:51
Blaine (@work):

Howe -- is that Miguel Rodriguiez from The Sound of Music studio in NC? We played in Johnny Thunders tribute project here in MKE moons ago. Along with his studio skills, he is one real baad mf on drums. Anyone else see Shane MacGowan's recent gigs?

Date: Mon May 20 07:31
howe (home on the gas range):

back just now from the 5 day run: dublin, london, bacelona and seville. dublin is always a surge of core inceptions. something like tapping into the source of that which is the written word assembled from the stumbling notion. but taking ryanair over there from denmark was a logistical error. they mess up their own connections. took all day. got there just in time to set up before doors opened, and to embrace the collective on stage already assembled. sweet sonic family reunion......i liked the show though......and the first one in a line is always a gamble for a rutterless vessel such as this. but it felt good. ....the next night was london.....and i knew there should be some pressure in the shadow of the barbican "gig of the year" noteriety. but what no on else knew about the barbican is that we did not play as well as we did during the 7 gigs before it, yet the promise of the display of such a beautiful facility and the spinning press of the show prior has the phycological set-up to allow the illusion of a brilliant show. it is all in your head, which is where it is always supposed to be....we allow the show we want to see...every painting on the wall will be only what the viewer needs to see....but the colors of it will always be a secret specific hue to each individual set of eyes. we can collectively only agree we are seeing the color "red"....but will never really know if it is the exact same color red as whoever else is looking at it. .....which in itself is another thankful miracle of involvement......meanwhile, back on earth, the 'ocean' stage was of decent girth to allow some elbow room. but some surpises such as the piano having to be elevated and such always lend themselves to the flavor of proceeding. ....it was also miguel rodriguez's second night with us ever as sound man, since jelle kuiper was on extended tour of duty with 'lambchop', and he did a fantastic job of taking on such a large contingency in such a small amount of time to prepare. thanks much miguel.......other then stumbling thru an attempt at "corridor" (at ms. harvey's request) ...i enjoyed the show very much....although my memory was that we did 'blue marble girl' just before the encore.....isn't that right ???.....anyhow, the only drag was how far away from the center of town we all were....it meant a serious travel for everybody to access the show.....but the facility was nice.....just felt like traveling from tucson to phoenix to get back to the hotel, so i can imagine the pain of folks having to rely on the trains and such. and thanks especially to mike and sarah for helping with everything. ....anyway, i know the show was good at the 'ocean'....and i know we all had a very fun time doing it. whatever color 'red' john allum cared to see that night was what he had to see. ...but obviously he did see 'red'......the next day was travel....easyjet....as difficult as ryanair in their own way, specifically denying us carrying on a guitar in a vinyl gig bag, which every other airline allows. they insisted it had to be checked, which would have meant doom to the vintage bass. i had a chat with the pilot however, who was very understanding. kept in the cockpit with him in fact. ....the festival in barcelona was a nice slice of cacophany. but in truth , we are not geared for the slotted surge of volume exchange that is most applicable in such environs. so a dive into john's drums at the finale was inevitable i fear. fun though........ok...2 hours sleep then we are in seville......a sold out show there in the kind of room that seems to be best suited for us these days, a theater, much like the barbican. it allows an intimacy and sound quality that will never exist in any bar like climate where folks can't help the drink urking spewing chatter of interuption to those who are trying to enjoy the sonic subtlities. a beautiful evening. ...and a lot of fun again. so the dive into the drums that night was just for good luck and farewell. .......well.......that's just my take.....glad to see so many people attempting to have some fun and drink in the night with an urgency well mixed with the sweet wonder of why we are all here at all. loving thanks best of all to john, joe, saholy, laureline, noah, susan, miguel and steve left....and nigel too.

Date: Mon May 20 03:08
mike ([sa-wa-ro]):

Just to let you know that the sa-wa-ro.com site is down for the next few days. This is due to having to change hosting companies at short notice, due to various security issues. I apologise to anyone who got 'spam' from my sa-wa-ro email account, unfortunately hackers got in and used my id to send out a massive amount of 'spam'. (t)odd, it was a printing error on the cover.... but at least the vinyl edition has a much better cover and artwork. Are your tracks in the right order? I spoke to someone at Ocean, who said his copy had the all the right tracks but in the wrong order!!.... and I don't know if Mr Allum was the person who ran up to my wife and attacked her on Wednesday, screaming and ranting that it was f***ing s**t and all wrong, but I hope you've calmed down...it really isn't that big a deal.

Date: Sun May 19 10:59
Mitch (Bird is short for Yardbird):

James S, you might try "Bird At The Roost" or "One Night In Birdland" if they're available. "The Verve Years" are pretty good too.

Date: Sun May 19 08:44
james s (oh, and):

(t)odd, I'm afraid you're going to have to get the CD for those tracks. Bummer, I know.

Date: Sun May 19 08:41
james s (whacking the computer keyboard with my foot):

Well said, Mitch, and well put too, oh and thanks for the John Coal Train "Favorite Things" suggestion. Very very good. A beautiful mix of sweet melody and soaring improvization, and such a warm grooving feel. Any of you music aficionados (or aficionadas) wanna tell me a good place to start with Charlie (bird) Parker? I suppose it's not so ironic that my love for the Sand and my involvement on this comments board would turn me into a lover of the hard bop.

Date: Sun May 19 07:54
Deirdre ((Dub-land but not a Dub)):

Thank you, Giant Sand, for coming to Dublin recently (your debut here as was described!). I was looking forward to seeing this seven piece band that I'd been reading so much about: Greenville....Cracklin' Water....a violinist(!) but the bit that I keep remembering is Howe whacking his foot down on the keys during the encore. That's the last time he gets a 'real piano' around here - (they must have some really strange piano teachers in Pennsylvania....!). Hope you enjoyed your short visit.

Date: Sat May 18 21:43
Tommy Gailer (rock-a-scroller):

Maybe John allum should register to the sandman-series and get himself "Make it sound like Hendrix" from Howe`s 89 duo tour. Very rockin`!

Date: Sat May 18 19:08
Mitch (85719):

Well put, PaulK.

Date: Sat May 18 18:06
(t)odd (todd.gray@ckua.org):

I can't find tracks 11, 12, 13 of 'Cover Magazine'...I have the mag on vinyl. Help...?...losing keys and songs is mind bending. 'Cover' is #3 on ckUt charts in Montreal...10-FouR! Ya know Howe...it good to be Alberta bound...

Date: Sat May 18 15:47
paulk (spellcheck):

did=dig

Date: Sat May 18 15:46
paulk (i'm@home):

I don't think it's fair to bash Mr.Allum, he likes the albums and probably didn't expect Howe's idiosyncratic presentations. He was honest and said he didn't like the show, his opinion and as valid as anything else on here.We've managed to avoid flames for the most part and people should feel free to voice criticism. Remember a couple of others agreed with John. There's nothing wrong in wishing that Howe would just come on and rock, he's done it before and according to the Juxtaposition liner notes, some people did the rock and roll element of the band. To John I say try them again because one thing you can say is that next time Howe and the band will be different. Paul

Date: Sat May 18 03:28
SeanT (GS LIVE):

I don't know each to there own I suppose .It just that I go see a lot of bands and to see someone thinking on stage and not just ploughing through the same old, is refreshing . There's no distance between band and audience with GS/Howe , I felt like getting up on stage myself the other night , and I'm sure I would have handed a pedal to play with. I've seen GS a ton of times , it's never been dull and always been a great evening out , I've always left with a big stupid grin on my face . Come on the alternative is what the record companies want us to here , nice, safe , sponsored music , not music that challenges , makes you think etc .Hell I know what I want .

Date: Fri May 17 17:42
james s (oh, to be just ONCE within a day's drive to a show):

Harvieux, 10 bucks won't make up for the fact that I've never seen GS live and so can't complain about the sound or praise the bemused expressions, but it would be a good start. So, you can send me one of those ten dollar bills if you like. If enough people send me a ten, I might eventually be able to afford a weekend flight to wherever the sandy action is going down (or up). The weekend has come around, yet again. Make of it what you will and enjoy it if you can.

Date: Fri May 17 13:04
Blaine (@work):

Mr. Lee, please step forward. Yr mention of Pharaoh Sanders made my week. I'll dig out the vinyl tonight.

Date: Fri May 17 12:13
benny on congress (benny@johnallum.com):

i agree, john allum sounds like a moron

Date: Fri May 17 10:59
Harvieux (harvieux@hotmail.com):

John Allum.Lighten up.Or better yet do A little more research on who it is exactly you think your seeing next time you go out.You may opt to just stay home and listen to the records.The talent is all there in an abundant fashoin and this we all know factually.I dont understand what you expect to get out of bashing the Sand? Im sure Howe would refund the 10 or so bucks you shelled out if youre wasted time is that valuable to ya.Or heck ill send it to ya if it will make it all better let me know!!!!!!!

Date: Fri May 17 10:24
Mitch (85719):

Well said, Stewart Lee.

Date: Fri May 17 08:35
Alan ((*in defense of adding d's to ad*)):

urp, sory, coud spel ons upon a tiem... APR

Date: Fri May 17 08:32
Alan ((** ad-vice **)):

A number of folks mentioned a while back that they'd missed the Diet Coke ad with the intro to Shiver in the background... it is available at: http://www2.coca-cola.com/presscenter/av_advertising.html About half way down the menu of ads in the center of the screen, the add is called "Dads," is for diet Coke, and is indicated to have run in North America. At least using my browser, it takes a while to move down to the add -- which you do by placing your cursor over the down-arrow on the lower right of he "Advertising" "window" in the middle of the screen (there appears to be no more efficient way). cheers, APR

Date: Fri May 17 08:32
Tommy Gailer (adams-scroller):

To Ryan Adams: saw him in Munich recently and must confess i enjoyed his show, although he seemed to be pretty stoned or whatever...the songs were pretty different to the studio versions and he sang very good.

Date: Fri May 17 06:26
Sean T (LIVE):

Stewart , everything you've said is true and is why we like them .I couldn't imagine seeing them live , playing straight versions of all the songs . It wouldn't be the same without Howe fumbling around with effects pedals , cd players etc .It's what makes them what they are . I see bands all the time and it's a real always a real joy to see people having to improvise , not too many bands do this now if any . Sean.

Date: Fri May 17 02:34
Stewart Lee (s@n):

GS live takes chances. You almost never see this in rock music which, as a rule, is safe safe safe. Even supposed indie-bands are playing to click tracks. Sometimes GS live co-heres. Sometimes it doesn't. Either way it's valuable. Their live shows are as varied as their albums. What do we go along expecting exactly? Is Long Stem Rant part of the same aesthetic as Slush? Apparently so. Wednesday at Ocean reminded me of the early 90's Chris Cacavas/Psycho Sisters Giant Sand big band, but more determinedly adventurous, but this is only a small slice of the many different things GS can do. GS will be back solo, in trios, whatever. With a 20 year back catalogue GS live is never going to be representitive of whatever small fragment of their sound you feel is what you personally want from them. You have to relax and trust that you are in creative, if not necessarilly competent, hands. And these days HG at least acts like a gentleman, looking as delighted, bewildered and intrigued by what is going around him as the open minded audience members themselves might. Saw Dylan on Sunday doing much the same - making Stuck Inside A Mobile better than the record, and Sub Homesick Blues much worse, playing solos that sounded like a child investiagting a stray guitar,and making sudden impulsive decisions that spooked the seasoned pros onstage with him. I never expected to see such disarray and daring in a stadium. I saw Pharoah Sanders at The Jazz Cafe last month who, oddly, seems far closer to GS principles than Ryan Adams et al ever do. I suspect people who now feel disappointed by Wednesday will find it stays with them and grows in the memory.

Date: Thu May 16 21:46
Tommy Gailer (psychoscroller):

To Pat Goba Bateman: funniest post ever from the bottom of my heart. Now Patrick, tell the cops where you buried the rest of the bodies...

Date: Thu May 16 17:51
mr. orange (mrorange@gmx.li):

howdy howeeeeeee, john and joeeeeeeeeeeee, i couldnt believe that the lp (vinyl)-release of cover magazine hadnt gotten the same complete track set (13 songs) as the cd release. i am very interested in the 9 min. marble girl version, but wouldn't buy those tiny shiny silvern yogs called cd. please give vinyl still a chance, especially for that record and come up with a re-release of it. the last (bigger) three songs could even be put on a smaller (12'' somethin') one for not waistin' space ...; or put a few more on a second ordinary size one, but a least the full cd-release. The best to you, anyway. Take care, leds! - mrO. P.S. i' ve never found a four clover leaf in the kilkenny woods ...

Date: Thu May 16 15:02
J (fruit child large):

I took a friend to see the above at (I think) the Mean Fiddler. Same reaction, same deal. Do not use refresh. Mr. P.Kerr, IOU, At some point soon I'll be burn ready and able to reciprocate. Same to you Mr.Rob S and Mr.Gillan. Cheers.

Date: Thu May 16 14:37
matt ()¬¬¬~¬¬¬tracklisting¬¬¬~¬¬¬():

Cheers Alan!!

Date: Thu May 16 14:21
Chris (chris_barrett@mac.com):

Not sure if I knew what to expect from my first GS concert. I saw them at the Barbican last year after listening to their records for the last decade and that has to go down as one of the best concerts that I have ever seen, and there is lot of competition for that title! However, ultimately the Ocean show has to be classed as a disappointment, and compared to the Barbican I guess it always was going to be. The main reason was the sound, someone has already said that it was partly down to due to where you were stood, and maybe that was so. I stood stock still until I had to run for the last train before the end of the show (Howe, why did you have to leave Blue Marble Girl till the encore?), but I also think that the set up was not as good as it could be, with Howe way down in the mix. The sound for Lincoln seemed to be far better, but this could be down to the fact that the room was a lot emptier. But I guess you don't go to see GS hoping for them to churn out exact replicas of their CD's. And a disappointing GS show is still riveting.

Date: Thu May 16 14:18
Rob S (((Ever been Had?))):

Did not get chance to catch Howe last night in London but did manage to catch him in Leicester last year. Had been waiting to witness the live experience for ages and when i did I came away feelin fairly indifferent. Still goes down as one of the best gigs ive seen as it wasnt what i expected. Thats the beauty of Howe, never what you expect. Could anybody have predicted that hed have released cover mag? Its the sheer not knowing that makes it interesting for me both recorded or in that case live. Long Live the Gelbster. Peace.Rob S. UK

Date: Thu May 16 12:53
matt (mel@stylethrashing.co.uk):

((((lucky barstewards)))) i dont suppose anyone could be kind enough to give me the tracklisting for the 1st sandman release (acres of weird) could they? cheers........

Date: Thu May 16 12:16
Ian (Back home):

I just got back from last nights show at Ocean having made a 1200 mile round trip to see it. I am not too surprised to see that there are differing views on how good/bad the show was. I enjoyed it but I wouldn't say it was a vintage performance but I have to agree with those folks who have already said if you want to see polished corporate rock you chose the wrong band. I found a large contingent of the audience really irritating as they would not stop chattering while the band were playing, I dont know if this was apparent to the band or not. As for the people taking calls on mobile phones during the show......well I know this message board will not let me use swear words so I can't express my thoughts on them.

Date: Thu May 16 12:04
Blaine (@work):

Interesting bunch of posts, leave it to Howe to rake us up some muck. Musicianship? Granted I didn't see the gig last night, but were you in the same room with that drummer and bass player?? Howe's made a real career of throwing knuckleballs, he's kinda the Jim Bouton of rock. John and Joe's talent seems sheer intuitive plenty of time. It's a real stretch to consider their musical talents as less than stellar. As for Howe, his gtr and pno playing speak for themselves-he plays music with that rare quality called soul. Sure he gets bored easily and is distracted, but that chaos is half the charm (for me at least) of the live gigs. I kinda liked the walkman touch. If I knew they'd just wind up and play the hits, I'd stay at home w/the records. ...Phil Collins??? where'd that albatross fly in from, more than quite unexpected. To quote Townes Van Zandt, "If Woody Guthrie were alive he'd be rolling over in his grave."

Date: Thu May 16 11:10
danskly (dansky@blueyonder.co.uk):

Thank you Howe and the gang for the out-of-this world set and encore at ocean.refreshing to hear moulds changed and the spirit of jazz improv alive and well.Can't you do more here in uk? How about another intimate night with us in the Spitz.Nice new cd too...what's your handicap Howe?

Date: Thu May 16 09:46
jamesa (@blinkenlight.org):

The encores were huge. A tremendous beat goes on with the crowd learning rhythm and what John Coltrane would have done without a saxaphone. And howe leaping round stage mic-ing people. I thought the show was superb,,,,The Ocean sound was *very* dependent on where you stood. But the musicianship was great everywhere, organic. I love watching everyone keep up with Howe. And the thing. You can pay your $$ and get perfect reproductions of sounds stuck in time. I like to think of them as CDs. I'd rather watch something different, people enjoying themselves and actually creating.

Date: Thu May 16 09:26
Pat Goba Bateman (Psycho Street):

John and Simon...who can forget the effortless and splendid forging of the seemingly disparate genres ruling the era- country and rock as put forth by a band called the Eagles. The musical stylings of Frey, Henley, Schmitt, Meisner, and later Walsh set a high standard for other bands such as Poco and Firefall. Say, do you like Phil Collins? I've been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980 album "Duke". Before that, I really didn't understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on Duke where Phil Collins presence became more apparent. Thank goodness Peter Gabriel left. I think "Invisible Touch" was the group's undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums. Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Rutherford and Collins. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism. Sabrina, why don't you dance a little? Take the lyrics to "Land of Confusion". In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. "In Too Deep" is the most moving pop song of the 1980's, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I've heard in rock. Phil Collins' solo career seems to be more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way. Especially songs like "In the Air Tonight", and "Against All Odds". Sabrina, don't just stare at it. But I also think Phil Collins works best within the confines of the group than as a solo artist, and I stress the word "artist". "Sussudio", a great, great song, a personal favorite of mine...

Date: Thu May 16 09:11
Sean T (Ocean London):

Wow ! Good to see the comments site is not just people fawning over the